The World's Most Expensive Home

India is a country of contrasts. After my first trip to Bangalore I tried my best to paint a picture of 21st century India by describing the ride into the heart of the city from the brand new international airport.

I would talk about the shiny new terminals, marble floors, wonderful new highway but also about passing bullock carts and cows in the middle of the road and seeing entire families of five on top of one motorbike. I would try and describe the physical transformation of the city as well. You might pass a two hundred year old bazaar or temple but then turn a corner to see a brand new 40 story apartment building with a helicopter landing pad on top.

Well, India's evolution is continuing and as the economy liberalizes and grows the gap between the haves and have-nots is becoming painfully obvious. There is no better example of this than the construction of the world's most expensive home in Mumbai.

The home is a 27 story building that casts a looming shadow over some of India's poorest neighborhoods. The one billion dollar edifice can actually be seen from Dharavi, Mumbai's infamous slum containing well over a million people.

A feature on the building in the Times of India does a wonderful job of capturing the grandeur and controversy surrounding the project. A short excerpt from the piece:

"The newest and most exclusive residential tower for this city's superrich is a cantilevered sheath of steel and glass soaring 27 floors into the sky. The parking garage fills six levels. Three helipads are on the roof. There are terraces upon terraces, airborne swimming pools and hanging gardens in a Blade Runner-meets-Babylon edifice overlooking India's most dynamic city.

There are nine elevators, a spa, a 50-seat theater and a grand ballroom. Hundreds of servants and staff are expected to work inside. And now, finally, after several years of planning and construction, the residents are about to move in...All five of them."

Yeah, the feature is worth a read. Enjoy.